wells



B. 9 m 67 2 N. u d e t n e l a DI S L L E W W A. ,0. 9 n0 0 6 0. N

TRAMWAY SWITCH.

(Application fusa Jan. 27, mes.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

nur-hun wwe/141501,

attuata,

ma Norms PETERS co, morauwo., wAsmNcToN, u. c.

No. 608,090. Patented my 26, |1898..

vA. w. wELLs.

TnAwlwAYl swlTcH.

(Application led Jan. 27, 189B.)

(N0 Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

3 @wanton rrnl rares l" hrhr miren,-

ARTl-IUR WV. VELLS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOJANE E. BISHOP, OF SAME PLACE.

TRAlViWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,090, dated July 26,18,98.

Application filed January 27, 1898. Serial No. 668,194. (No model.)

T0 all whom, t may concern:4

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. WELLS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tramway-Switches;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tramway-switches; and it consists,essentially, of a switch-throw located between main-track rails andoperatively connected to a switch-point at a distance therefrom, thesaid throw being located in a bed and adapted to be actuated by ashipping-wheel of aspecic form of construction carried at the end of atram-car and adj ustable vertically through the mediumof a levercarrying a roller which is permitted to have lateral adjustment to swingor shift the shipping-roller to one side or the other.

The invention further consists of electric heating devices, inconnection with the throwbed and the switch-point, to prevent acongregation of ice and snow in and around the working parts, andthereby do away with the use of salt or other thawing materials, as wellas manual labor, to keep the said parts clear.

The invention further consists of the details of construction andarrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The object of the invention is to produceva positively-acting switch fortramways that can be operated by relatively coacting mechanism on theend of a tram-car, without requiring other means of an extraneous ormanual nature, to shift the throw and arrange a switch-point relativelyto a main line and side track or curve.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view ofiaportion of a tram-car and track-rails embodying the invention. Fig. 2 isan irregular section including the throw and switch-point and themechanism connecting the same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of apart of the throw-bed, showing the electric heaters therein. Fig. 4 is asectional View of the operating mechanism connecting the throw andswitch-point shafts.

.and 2 side-track rails, the latter embodying 6o a movable switch-point3, which leads into or coacts with the said main track rail. Between thesaid main-track rails and at a suitable distance froin the switch-point3 a bed 4t is located and arranged in the form of a box 65 with anupperelongated substantially elliptical groove 5 therein, Which has anentrancegroove 6 at one end and an eXitgroove 7 at the opposite end. Itwill be understood, however, that the said entrance and exit 7o groovesmay be arranged in reverse order and that the exit-groove might be usedas the entrance-groove, and vice versa. Within the groove 5 ishorizontally disposed and movably mounted a throw 8, which is of thesame shape as said groove, butof course much smaller, to accommodate` orcompensate for a lateral movement thereof. The said throw has oppositereduced ends 9 and at the center is provided with an annular 8obearing-plate .or circle l0, which is preferably grooved to form a seatfor antifrictional balls or analogous devices coacting with an adjacentsurface. Depending from the center of the said throw is a square shaft11, hav- 8 5 ing keyed on the lower end thereof a segmental sprocket 12,and engaging the said sprocket is a section of a sprocket-belt 13. At asuitable distance from the said shaft 11 and to one side of themain-track rails a sec- 9o ond angular shaft 14. is situated, and on theupper end thereof the switch-point 3 is secured. I On the lower end ofthe said shaft 14 a second segmental sprocket 15 is suitably secured'andis of less dimension than the 95 sprocket 12.4 The sprocket 15 is alsoengaged by a sectional chain belt 16, and to the free n ends-of eachofthe sectional chain belts rods 17 are secured'and have their inner endsscrew-threaded and engaged by turnbuckles roc.

18, by means of which the requisite tension on the said sectional beltsis maintained.

The operation of the devices thus far Idescribed is verysimple, and bypressing the right end of the throw 8, as shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in the direction of the transversely-positioned arrow theshaft 11 will be rotated and its movement transmitted through thesprocket 12, by means of the sectional chain belt, to the sprocket 15and to the shaft 14,and consequently shift the switchpoint 3 in theposition shown in Fig. 1 and close the main line. The device foroperating the throw having passed around the same toward the exit-groove7 will strike the opposite end of said throw and press said end towardthe same side of the groove 5 adjacent to which the opposite end of saidthrow has been located, thereby moving the shaft 11 in the oppositedirection, and through the shaft 14 and the connections set forthbetween said shaft the switch-point 3 is shifted in the oppositedirection, the main-track rails opened and the side tracks let into thesaid maintrack rail. Of course this is one mode of operation in view ofthe arrangement, and others may be arranged by changing the position ofthe parts, which might ensue without departing from the nature or spiritof the invention.

The bed 4 is preferably arranged in box form, as previously set forth,to provide a chamber which may be continued under the switch-point or anindependent chamber esta'blished under said point and connected to thesaid box by means of suitable pipes. Furthermore, the said box can haveother pipes secured thereto and extend to curves connecting withchambers or conduits located under the latter. This arrangement of partsis to prevent the congregation of ice and snow around the working partsof the switch and also in connection with curverails, andas a heatingmedium oppositely-positioned electric heaters 19 are suitably located insaid bed 4 and connected up to electric conductors running from a sourceof electrical generation. From this one center heat could be conductedin a number of different directions, and as the means for doing this arewell known in the art they have not been completely illustrated.

As a preferred means for operating the switch-throw 8 a shipping rolleror wheel 2O is carried at one or both ends of the tram-car and directlyunder the end platforms thereof. This shipping roller or wheel issupported in a yoke 21, carried on the outer end of an arm 22, which isnormally positioned obliquely and has its rear end pivotally mountedunder the bed of the car. In rear of the yoke 21 a guide 23 is mountedon said arm and confines between the same a grooved roller 24, rotatablymounted on a rod 25, carried by the opposite ends of a yoke 26, locatedat the lower outwardly-extending ends 27 of an operatinglever 28. Theroller 24 is loose on the rod 25, so as to have lateral play, andsurrounding the said rod and bearing against the opposite sides of saidroller are coiled springs 29, which tend to normally restore the saidroller in central position on the said rod. The lever 28 is fulcrumed onthe end of the car, as at 30, and at its upper end is provided with agrip 31 and a spring-actuated slide-dog or analogous device 32,whichengages a horizontally-disposed notched plate 33. The roller 24 in theadjustment of the arm 22 moves lengthwise of the guide 23, and when thelever 28 is pulled inwardly toward the end of the car the said arm 22and the shipping roller or wheel 2O are raised a proper distance abovethe road-bed and high enough to prevent contact with any objects overwhich the car may pass under ordinary conditions. When the lever 28 ismoved outwardly from the end of the car, the

arm 22 and the shipping-wheel 2O are forceddownwardly, the adjustment inthis direction being sustained through the spring-actuated sliding dogon the lever engaging the notchplate In the use of this shipping-rollerand the devices connected thereto with the throw heretofore set forthsaid roller is let down into the entrance-groove 6 when the car ismoving in the direction of the elongated arrow longitudinally disposedon the said throw, and the latter is forced over in the direction of thearrow heretofore referred to, and the said shipping-roller moves aroundthe throw, being allowed lateral play through the pivotal connection ofthe arm 22 with the car-body until it reaches the opposite end of saidthrow, which it moves in a similar direction and passes out through theexit-groove 7. The arm 22 is restored to its normal position through themedium of the springs 29 by reason of the fact that the roller 24, whichis held in the guide 23, will be forced back to a central position afterthe resistance is removed froin the said shipping-roller. Of course thethrow 8 can be operated from the end opposite to that set forth, aspreviously indicated, and said throw will be sufficiently long to permitthe wheels of the tram-car to pass over the switch-point 3 before saidthrow is again operated to open the said point.

The shipping roller 2O can be mounted either at one side or the other ofthe platform or in the center thereof and might be equally well operatedfrom one side and engage a throw outside of the main-track rail. The armcarrying the shipping-roller and the coacting parts will not interferewith the application of a suitable fender. The bed 4 can also be securedto cross-ties or sleepers, if desired, and the upper surface roughenedto prevent horses or pedestrians slipping thereon. Other changes withinthe scope of the invention can be made, and particularly in the detailsof minor importance, as well as the dimension and proportions,withoutsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention,what is claimed as new is- 1. In aswitch of the character set forth, the combination of a grooved bed, athrow mounted in said bed, a depending shaft connected to said throw, aswitch-point located at a distance from the throw and also having IOCIIC

IIE

a depending shaft, segmental sprockets on the said shafts, sectionalchain belts engaging the said sprockets, means for adjusting saidsectional chain belts, track-rails, and means for operating the saidswitch-throw, substantially as described.

2. In a switch of the character set forth, the combination oftrack-rails, a bed mounted between a part of said rails, an elongatedlongitudinally arranged switchthrow .movably located in said bed, aswitch-point at a distance from said bed, depending angular shaftsconnected to the throw and switchpoint, segmental sprockets on the saidshafts, sectional chain belts engaging the said sprockets, rods attachedto the ends of said sectional. chain belts, turnbnckles adjustablyconnecting the said rods, and means for operating the throw,substantially as described.

3. In combination with a tram-car, of a laterally and vertically movablearm, a shipping-roller carried at the outer free end of said arm, alever carrying a spring-actuated roller engaging said arm, and a throwadapted to be operated by the shipping-roller, substantially asdescribed.

4E. In combination with a tram-car, of a vertically and laterallyadjustable arm connected thereto having a shipping roller or Wheel inthe outer free end thereof, a guide mounted on the said arm, a leverpivoted to the end of the car having a lower angularlyextending endcarrying a yoke in which a rod is supported, a roller lnovably mountedon the said rod and located in the said guide, springs on the said rodbearing against opposite sides of said roller, means for sustaining theadjustment of the said lever, and a switchthrow adapted to be engaged bythe said shipping-roller, substantially` as described.

5. In combination with a tram-car, of a laterally and verticallyadjustable arm having a shipping-roller Aat the outer free end thereof,a lever pivotally mounted at the end of the car and provided with alaterally-movable spring-actuated roller in connection with said arm,means for sustaining the adjustment of said roller, and a switch-throwadapted to be engaged by said shipping-roller, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.`

' ARTHUR W. VELLS. Witnesses:

CLARENCE W. RowLnY, J. T. MoRnILL.

